"We are here and you are at the front of our minds."
That is the message from Bay of Plenty Civil Defence group controller Clinton Naude.
While most of the country is at alert level 2, Civil Defence Bay of Plenty is not currently activated. But Naude said there was still plenty of work going on behind the scenes.
"In times of difficulty, Kiwis want to feel like they are doing something and they want to know local officials are getting ready. But unlike earthquake or flood responses, a lot of the work being done for Covid-19 doesn't involve things like sandbags or high-vis clothing," he said.
Naude said one important thing people could do this time is to download the Covid tracing app and start using it immediately to record their movements.